I was not at all prepared for the race. I had been jogging/running for a little over a year. Even though I had been training/exercising, I mainly used the walk/run method. The original goal for running was to just get out of the house and off the treadmill. I had really early...really wonderful morning runs with my dearest friend, and we had a blast. Then I started getting the itch for a challenge and signed up for a 5k, it felt like the natural progression. I had started the C25k method; but didn't finish it. Still I decided to move forward and race anyway.
As I began the race, I started to get pretty nervous. It became very real that everyone gathered around me were "real runners" and at the time I really didn't consider myself a "real runner". I was really worried about being the last to finish. It's probably because I have a fairly competitive person. So I ran/jogged as fast as I could for the race. It was not super fun...there were a couple hills that almost did me in. But I promised myself I would not walk and even though I would not finish first (which was my secret dream) I would finish with a jog/run and my head held high!
I finished. I did not walk. I felt like I was going to die at the end. They had hot wings right at the finish line. The smell made me want to puke. But then I noticed my children's faces at the finish line and they were soo proud of mama and then all they could talk about was "when can we race mama?" my heart swelled...in a good way.
I learned soo much from this first bittersweet race of mine.
--Everything is better when you have prepared.
--In running it doesn't matter if you are first or last...you are racing against yourself!!
--Training yourself mentally for a race is just as important as the physical aspect.
--It's great to have smiling faces at the finish line!
--Wearing the race shirt on the day of the race is kinda dorky. (Yes, I wore the race shirt...I'm a little dorky.)
--Bright Orange is not my color, and a bandana on my head is not cute! (I have a friend who looks adorable with a bandana on..I was trying to copy the look)
Race stats:
--In my age category I finished 6th out of 14.
--Overall females- 34th out of 74. (My bib number was also # 34...isn't that weird?)
--Official time: 31:16.6
--Official pace: 10:06
Overall I was proud of myself for setting a goal and sticking to it. I was happy with my time and pace for my fitness level. It encouraged me to work harder and plan to be more prepared for the next race. Yes, there will be a next race!
